Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Spring has sprung

Spring was a pretty serendipitous time to return to Austin. It's a lovely season here. Except for those with allergy problems of course. The landscape is constantly changing right now. The neighborhood I arrived to has already completely transformed. I'd take a photo, and before I could get it on the computer, edited, and online, the image had changed.

Take the photo above, for example. I took it the first week in March, just a day after I arrived. It's the view looking west from my apartment. That view is completely green now. Lush and verdant. The branches are filling up more and more by the day. The horizon is completely obscured.

Meanwhile the temperature continues to fluctuate. The heater keeps needing to be kicked on once a week or so, in the mornings. The waves of storms are moving through, threatening hail and tornadoes. Occasionally they deliver. And birds are setting up nests outside my window.

This white-wing dove has a nest in the fig tree whose upper branches reach very near to my balcony. One day, I noticed a suspicious collection of twigs. Then the next, a lonely, solitary egg. Then the next, another. Before long, mom was ever-present. I use to startle her peeking out the window. But now she's used to seeing me. And sometimes I can sneak out onto the balcony to peek at her. She watches me warily, but usually stays put.

The last of those photos above was taken on the 6th. I am now almost completely unable to spy on her, due to the still-growing, ever-larger, fig leaves on that tree. (No wonder Adam and Eve chose them.) Did I mention when I moved in that the tree was completely bare, save for green buds all over, only about the size of your thumb? I hope the leaves don't get so big that I'm not able to take a picture of the chicks that pop out of those eggs. Because you know I can't wait for that.